tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. joe biden picks senator kamala harris as his running mate. reaction pouring in at this hour. senator harris and her first words. president trump responding, too. what he said just before we came on the air tonight. also this evening, our reporting here. what went into this historic pick? the california senator and former presidential hopeful. she would be the first woman vice president, the first black vice president and the highest ranking asian-american in u.s. history if elected. tonight here, the moment joe biden asked her over zoom to join the ticket. the president moments ago was asked about the pick, how he responded. and tonight, former president barack obama and hillary clinton among those celebrating biden's pick. our political team standing by, mary bruce, linsey davis, jon karl all with late reporting tonight. the other major news this evening, the coronavirus. and the growing number of

children infected. just as millions of children head back to school. the 90% surge in child covid cases in just the last month. in one georgia school district, more than 900 students and staff under quarantine as positive test results come back. masks mandatory for teachers but not for students. 24 hours after dr. fauci said right here that he believed there should be mandatory mask-wearing in schools. and tonight, out of florida, they have just recorded the highest number of deaths in a single day. tonight, much of the fall season for college football now canceled. two powerhouse conferences, the big ten and the pac-12, canceling. who is left and what is their plan? what we've learned tonight. news from russia this evening. they say they have a vaccine for covid. vladimir putin saying one of his daughters already got the shot. but tonight, how far did it make it in trials? is it safe? and how long before the u.s. might have a vaccine? and the deadly storm here at home.

wind gusts reaching 85 miles per hour in chicago. falling trees and flying debris. more than a million losing por. good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a very busy tuesday night. and we begin here tonight with the news that broke late today. the historic decision from former vice president joe biden, revealing today senator kamala harris was his choice for a running mate. the campaign posting this image of biden at his home in delaware today, in a zoom chat with harris, asking her to join him on the ticket. if elected, she would be the first woman vice president, the first black vice president. she would be the highest ranking asian-american in u.s. history. in a statement announcing his decision, biden called harris smart, tough and ready to lead, saying she'll be the best partner in the battle for the soul of this nation. news of biden's choice spread across twitter, in fact, what they call a heat map right here late today. it shows where the tweets were most concentrated when the news was announced and how quickly it spread across the country. tonight here, who is kamala

harris? her childhood, her firsts, the history that she has made already. and what about all of that talk about senator harris took aim at biden on the debate stage during the primaries? and the former vice president himself and his own notes on kamala harris in recent days, captured in a photo, in his own writing, writing, "do not hold grudges." it seemed to be a major hint that this was coming. and tonight, president trump, just moments ago, weighing in on this pick. abc's mary bruce leading us off. >> reporter: tonight, for the first time in our nation's history, a black woman is on the ticket. the first asian-american, too. after weeks of speculation, joe biden this afternoon over video chat informing senator kamala harris of his historic decision. biden then tweeting the news -- "i have the great honor to announce that i've picked kamala harris -- a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants -- as my running mate." harris responding -- "joe biden can unify the american people because he's spent his life fighting for us. and as president, he'll build an america that lives up to our ideals.

i'm honored to join him as our party's nominee for vice president, and do what it takes to make him our commander in chief." biden has said he was looking for someone he could trust, to be the last person in the room giving him advice. >> in choosing the vice president is whether or not the person is simpatico with me in terms of where i want to take the country. >> reporter: biden and harris have a personal family connection, first meeting through biden's late son beau, when he and harris were both state attorneys general. four years after beau biden died from brain cancer, harris saying, "i still miss him." but harris would become a rival. >> there was a little girl in california who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bussed to school every day. and that little girl was me. >> reporter: at the first primary debate, taking the former vice president to task for working with segregationl rs bussing policies in the 1970s. >> it's a mischaracterization,

my position across the board. i did not praise racists. that is not true. >> do you agree today that you were wrong to oppose bussing in america then? do you agree? >> i did not oppose bussing in america. what i opposed is bussing ordered by the department of education. that's what i opposed. >> reporter: harris later reportedly said, that was all politics. biden clearly willing to look past it. at a press conference just weeks ago, one of the first public signs biden was leaning towards harris. photographers getting a glimpse of his talking points about harris. right on top, "do not hold grudges." in this moment of racial reckoning and after black voters helped save his candidacy, biden was under intense pressure to pick a black woman. tonight, the other women reacting. former u.n. ambassador susan rice calling harris a "tenacious and trailblazing leader." senator elizabeth warren saying harris has been "unafraid and an inspiration to millions of women is who see themselves in her."

and from congresswoman val demings, a powerful reflection, saying, "to see a black woman nominated for the first time reaffirms my faith that in america, there is a place for every person to succeed no matter who they are or where they come from." hillary clinton weighing in with this message to another women making history, "i'm thrilled to welcome kamala harris to a historic democratic ticket. she's already proven herself to be an incredible public servant and leader. and i know she'll be a strong partner to joe biden. please join me in having her back and getting her elected." and president obama tonight writing, "joe biden nailed this decision. by choosing senator kamala harris as america's next vice president, he's underscored his own judgment and character." even before biden announced his decision, the trump campaign warned they would try to paint biden's pick as a radical. 15 minutes after the announcement, trump's campaign tweeting this video. just moments ago, the president himself attacking harris.

>> plus she was very, very nasty to -- one of the reasons it surprised me, she was very -- she was probably nastier than even pocahontas to joe biden. she was very disrespectful to joe biden. and it's hard to pick somebody that's that disrespectful. when she said things during the debates, during the democrat primary debates that were horrible about sleepy joe. and i would think that he wouldn't have picked. >> reporter: but it was biden earlier this year who said just what he would be looking for in a nominee. >> it's incredibly presumptuous for me at this stage to be talking about a running mate, i'll get killed if i get specific. but let me tell you what, rather than who. i'd very much like my administration to look like the country, like barack and our administration looked like. black, brown, women, men, gay, straight. across the board, to look like the country. as vice president, i think it

will be wonderful to have a woman or a person of color as vice president. but the most important thing i've learned from my relationship with barack, i call him barack, not president, because i don't want to confuse him with the president. but at any rate, one of the things i learned is that no president in the 21st century can handle the job all by themselves. it's just too much that lands on your plate. so you've got to be prepared to turn over significant responsibility as the president did with me on matters relating to a whole range of issues, and turn it over and run it from beginning to end. >> the vice president on what he would like to see in a vice president during the campaign. and let's get to mary bruce tonight. and mary, i know we expect former vice president joe biden and senator kamala harris to appear for the first time together tomorrow. all this playing out during this pandemic, which is why we saw that zoom call today. so, any more on how this will be defined, how this will look tomorrow? >> reporter: well, david, for the first time tomorrow, we will

be seeing the harris/biden ticket together. they are set to deliver remarks in biden's hometown in delaware. harris will then have just a week to prepare for the democratic convention, but she has been laying the groundwork for this for her entire career. tonight, sources close to harris say they are overcome with emotion. one telling us, now, onto the hard part. david? >> mary bruce leading us off tonight. mary, thank you. and as we reported, even before today's nomination, senator kamala harris already achieved a number of historic milestones. tonight, her childhood, what shaped her, what set her on this path. abc's linsey davis on that part of the story. >> reporter: kamala harris was born in oakland, california, in october 1964. the daughter of immigrants, her dad from jamaica, her mother from india. it was her mother who she credits for her determination. >> our mother was fierce in her beliefon your acti yr words. our mother also, you know, she was all of five feet tall, but if you ever met her, you would

have probably thought she was seven to ten feet tall. >> reporter: growing up with her younger sister, maya, harris was bussed across berkeley, california, for school in the 1960s. she graduated from howard university and the university of california and at 55, she's no stranger to making history. she was the first black woman to be elected district attorney in san francisco and the first woman to serve as california's attorney general. she became a senator in 2016. known for her prosecutorial style in senate hearings. today, she's also the first black woman, the first asian-american woman, on a presidential ticket. >> and so let's bring in linsey davis. and linsey, you've been reporting on this for some time, as well. senator kamala harris was always considered to be near the top of the list of potential picks for vice president for joe biden, but that doesn't make today's announcement, this decision, any less historic. >> reporter: just the headline alone, david, is history-making,

and for young girls, young black girls in particular, this is a special significance. and senator harris, when she was running for president, she often credited shirley chisholm, who was the first black woman who ran for president, paving the way for her back in 1972. david? >> all right, linsey davis with us here tonight. linsey, thank you. president trump already weighing in, as you saw at the top tonight, saying he was a little surprised, given what he says, how nasty he believed she was to joe biden on that debate stage. so, i want to get right to our chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. because jon, you heard, the president was also asked late today if kamala harris makes this a stronger ticket and here's what he said. >> very simply, is she going to help former vice president biden's chances in november or is she going to hurt? >> well, i like vice president mike pence much better. he is solid as a rock, he's been a fantastic vice president. he's done everything you can do. he's respected by every

religious group, whether it's evangelical, whether it's any other group, they respect mike pence. he's been a great vice president and i will take him over kamala. >> the president just before we came on the air tonight. and jon, what are you hearing from the trump campaign tonight? we know this fall, kamala harris will be on that debate stage up against vice president mike pence. >> reporter: well, the trump campaign will make a big deal of the fact that harris criticized biden so harshly during the campaign. they'll try to portray her as a far-left progressive, but she is a tougher target than many of the others who biden was considering. in fact, not that long ago, donald trump supported kamala harris. in 2011 and in 2013, he gave a total of $6,000 to her political campaigns. ivanka trump, another $2,000 in 2014. so, not long ago, he actually supported kamala harris, david. the ierng jon, thanks to you, to linsey davis, mary bruce and our entire political team tonight. the coronavirus and the

economy, the health of american families and children heading back to school, all of this will be the leading issue heading into this election. and the world now passing another troubling milestone tonight. more than 20 million cases now. one-quarter of them here in the united states. and here at home tonight, the new report on the rise in cases in children. and here in the u.s., more than 5 million confirmed cases now. more than 164,000 lives lost. in fact tonight, florida now with a new record one-day high in deaths. and tonight, in one georgia school district, already back in class, more than 900 students and teachers already quarantined. here's abc's marcus moore. >> reporter: a revealing look tonight at the struggle so many families are facing. "the new york times" inside houston methodist hospital in july, where 60% of the covid patients are latino. >> your mom and your brother brought you this rosary. >> reporter: rosary beads resting in the hand of 30-year-old ivan sanchez, who for weeks has been on a ventilator. >> just so you know that your family and everyone's praying for you to have a speedy recovery.

>> reporter: today, florida marked its deadliest day yet. 277 lives lost. cases are declining in 23 states, but there's also concern about the potential for spread in schools. across cherokee county, georgia, at least 925 students and staff are quarantined after 60 people tested positive. masks required for teachers but only recommended for students. when schools reopened last week, parents were hopeful. >> so many of us were desperately wanting our kids to be face-to-face. i feel 100% safe. >> reporter: it was just 24 hours ago, dr. anthony fauci was asked about those images of school children in packe dr. fauci telling david, in his opinion, there should be universal wearing of masks. >> there should be universal wearing of masks. when i see sights like that, it is disturbing to me. >> reporter: in texas, debate over reopening classrooms. >> please go by science! >> reporter: middle school teacher rebecca ascher quitting at this school board meeting.

>> i respectfully offer you my resignation, for i need to take care of my family. i just didn't feel the district had adequate plans to keep both students and teachers safe. >> reporter: across the country, nearly 180,000 new covid cases reported in children in just the last four weeks -- an increase of 90%. 6-year-old jaden coulter of philadelphia was severely sickened by that rare multi-inflammatory syndrome. >> they had to put breathing tubes down his throat, ivs coming from his neck, his arms. they came in the room every three minutes. it was just a lot. >> reporter: jaden is now recovering, but he'll be going back to school online. >> i was worried about the whole school, wanting my child to go to school. but now i'm second-guessing, like maybe virtual is not that bad. >> reporter: david, here in texas, the emotional debate on whether to go back to school continues. most districts will either go back online or in person a little bit late this year, after labor day. david? >> marcus moore with us tonight. marcus, thank you. and we're going to turn now to that major development in college football. two powerhouse conferences, the

big ten, the pac-12, canceling the fall season because of covid. abc's kaylee hartung from baton rouge, she's at lsu tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the college football world upended. two of the most powerful conferences canceling the fall season for all sports. the big 10 and pac-12 making the painstaking decision. >> there's too much uncertainty at this point and time in our country. >> reporter: the backlash against canceling has been growing. the president weighing in just moments ago. >> they've got to be out there playing football and they'll be able to fight it off and hopefully it won't bother them one bit. most of them will never get it, statistically. so, college football, get out there and play football, people want to see it. >> reporter: the other three major conferences now faced with their own decisions. at lsu, the defending national champions are taking measures to protect their players, using thermal body cameras for temperature checks, uv lights and upgrades to helmets. head coach ed orgeron says safety is his top priority, but

wants to play in front of his fans. >> i'd expect at least 50% of the fans to be there. >> reporter: 50%? >> i would expect that. >> reporter: that's 50,000 people. >> yeah. >> reporter: david, those conferences that have canceled their fall season say they hope to play in the spring. here at lsu and across the southeastern conference, they are still scheduled to play in just 6 1/2 weeks. david? >> all right, we'll be keeping our eye on that. kaylee, thank you. overseas tonight, news from russia. vladimir putin says they have a vaccine for covid, that his daughter has been given the vaccine. of course, the immediate questions, among them, how safe is this vaccine? here's our senior foreign correspondent ian pannell tonight. >> reporter: tonight, russia claiming a major victory with the world's first approved coronavirus vaccine. president vladimir putin even saying one of his daughters has been given the inoculation they're nicknaming sputnik vaccine. >> its efficiency has been tested, 100% of the people developed immunity. >> reporter: but many scientists in russia and around the world say it simply hasn't been properly tested. russia choosing to go ahead

before completing that crucial final phase three trial that's used to show if a vaccine will work safely in a large population. they only lined up 2,000 people for that final step. compare that to the tens of thousands now being tested with vaccines being developed by moderna, pfizer and oxford. dr. fauci shared his reaction with national geographic. >> i hope that the russians have actually definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective. i seriously doubt that they've done that. >> reporter: dr. fauci telling david he's optimistic there will be an effective vaccine around year's end. >> i believe there's quite a good chance that we will, and that should take probably by the end of this calendar year with vaccine available as we go into 2021. >> reporter: president trump now announcing that the u.s. is buying 100 million doses of the moderna vaccine, hoping like others that it's proven safe and effective. david? >> all right, ian pannell reporting tonight from london, thank you.

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netflix's new building a better bay area. this is abc7 news. >> harris is different. the world is different. >> those few words sum up the history made today when california senator kamala harris was named by presumptive democratic nominee joe biden as his running mate. >> that big news broke a few hours ago. an unprecedented announcement in american politics.

kamala harris is a bay area native and she's now first black woman and indian american person ever named as a running mate by either major political party and she could become the country's first ever black woman and indian-american named after a president. >> there are women around the country that feel like they finally have a seat at the table. >> to be we have insight into both the political and personal aspects of biden'sbiden'sbiden's liz, let's begin with you. >> this is the announcement we've all been waiting for, finally here and it is an historic one. senator harris who we know very well in the bay area is the third woman in history to be picked for the vice presidential on t first announcement came in and then a tweet. senator kamal